Rijiju disapproves of protests by lawyers over collegium recommendations

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday disapproved of protests by certain lawyer bodies against the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium to transfer some high court judges.Addressing an event here to felicitate newly appointed Chief Justice of India CJI D Y Chandrachud, he said if strikes become a recurring phenomenon for every decision taken by the collegium, then where will it lead to.Bar bodies of Gujarat, Telangana and Madras high courts have protested the decision of the collegium to transfer some judges.Yesterday, I heard some of the lawyers want to meet the chief justice of India for transfer case.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday disapproved of protests by certain lawyer bodies against the recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium to transfer some high court judges.

Addressing an event here to felicitate newly appointed Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, he said if strikes become a recurring phenomenon for every decision taken by the collegium, ''then where will it lead to''.

Bar bodies of Gujarat, Telangana and Madras high courts have protested the decision of the collegium to transfer some judges.

''Yesterday, I heard some of the lawyers want to meet the chief justice of India for transfer case. Now the issue may be, if you look from isolation, it may be one of the issues. ''But if this becomes a recurring instance for every decision taken by the collegium, on which it is being supported by the government, then where will it lead to. Then the whole dimension will change,'' Rijiju said. The CJI has agreed to meet the Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association on November 21 in view of the ongoing protest by lawyers opposing the Supreme Court collegium's recommendation to transfer Justice Nikhil S Kariel to the Patna High Court. The apex court collegium had recently recommended transfer of three high court judges for administrative reasons, sources said.

The five-member collegium is learnt to have transferred Madras High Court acting chief justice T Raja to the Rajasthan High Court, while Justice Kariel and Justice A Abhishek Reddy have been transferred to the Patna High Court.

Justice Raja was appointed as additional judge of the Madras High Court on March 31, 2009 and assumed charge as acting chief justice from September 22, 2022.

Justice Kariel is currently a judge at the Gujarat High Court, while Justice Reddy is posted at Telangana High Court.

Media reports on collegium resolutions have led to eruption of lawyers' protest in the Gujarat High Court and the Telangana High Court.